24th and 25th of August, 2018.
The way out of Mutare is tough. It is far and full of hills. At a gas station almost out of town, a lot of people waiting for taxis and kombi. Fucking shit! So I keep walking.
At the top of a hill, there is a truck and three man. I am already pissed off with everybody asking me where I am going or warning me about how I should go back and take a bus in the appropriate place. Fuck all of you! Do you think I am stupid or something? Oh, yeah, of course: this place with a bus sign and full of people waiting. It should mean something… So when one of the guys asks me something, I just keep walking while screaming something to him. He say he could help me with the lift, he is just waiting for his driver. We talk and I decide to wait.
After some long minutes the driver shows up but he is having problems with the car: the alarm is on and he could not turn off. So he would go to town to fix it and middle time we would keep our way to the next town.
At the end, it is not the worse thing because all the way is up hill and no place were the cars can stop, so…
They drop me in a intersection Nyanga – Harare. I would try a lift and if the guy came back with the car first, I would not miss anything. As soon as I turn into the intersection, a couple, who are not going too far, but definitely to a better place to hitch, give me a lift.
It is a school. Apart of the kids in front, disturbing, there is a good shade. Long time passes and nobody is stopping. Or the kids are leaving. I want to eat my peanut butter sandwich but I do not want to do in front of them. So I just ask, sarcastically, if there is not time to go home. And I am surprised by a boy’s answer: “I thought you needed help” Oh! Anyway, I say thank you but I am fine, so they leave. I eat.
Oh, even before that, that guy from the first lift, who was waiting for the driver, he passed by me. They passed, but simply decided not to stop. Honestly? I am so glad. After them, the guys from the truck pass b they stop. I just make a sign that they should keep going.
Another small truck finally stops. Two nice young men were going to Nyanga. They put my bag on the top of the truck and we leave. I tell them I am looking for the Nyangombe Waterfalls and it should be a warn or something in the road. After less than one hour I guess, we see a sign saying “Udu Camping – Nyangombe Waterfalls”. I am not quite sure if it is the right place but I take my chances.
It is five o’clock already so I decide to make my camp in the top of the hill and next morning go looking for the waterfalls.
It is a nice view up in there. I have such a trouble to make my camping though: the wind is crazy! And it is not actually a very comfortable and nice place to put the tent but at least is quite hidden from the trail I followed to get in there.
With that wind would be impossible to cook outside. So I decide to cook inside of the tent. You see, it is not a bad idea. The problem is the owner of the idea. I realize that one of my bottles is missing. Probably the guys from the truck dropped by mistake. So I have just enough water to cook the dinner and to drink next morning until get in the camping place. I start to cook but I did not thought well about it. So when the gas and the pot almost turned, I am so concerned about the gas split all over and make an explosion, that I hold just the gas and forgot about the pan. The result: half litre of my precious water all over my tent. Stupid, I know! I dry out the place and make a better space / plan to start to cook again. It works, I eat and try to sleep.
Apart of the inclination of the tent, it is also fucking cold. Looks like I am not inside the sleeping bag. My hoodie it is being missed more than ever.
Next morning, instead of looking for the waterfall by my own, I decide to look for the camping place, where I also could get some water.
I do not know how far it is but under the sun, without water and with the bags, it feels so far. Once in there, I talk with a lady at the reception. After I explain everything to her, she wants to help me but she is also afraid. I do not know if the manager or someone responsible for the place is not around or what, but she decide to let me go visit the waterfall. And she ask to a very old guide to come with me. He is funny. We walk on the road for about 20 minutes. At the parking we start to go down in a trail and then in five minutes we reach the waterfall. I am surprise in how beautiful it is! With all do respect, so much nicer than Moremi. A big amount of water coming down and down again, ending in a small river. Beautiful! And this time I manage to take a nice picture.
We stay for a long time. More that I am panning actually. And I feel like if it was for the guide, we would stay even longer. A big group of people from the church (according to the guide) come into. I finally ask him if we could go back.
Back at the reception, I make tea and two peanut butter sandwiches.
The lady is very nice and I wish I could put her name down but when I asked her she say to prefer not to. I understood.
